Key Takeaways
- Fresco launched the KitchenOS platform, enabling multi-appliance control and a personalized user experience.
- Instant Brands’ Instant Pot Pro Plus will be the first to utilize the new KitchenOS, following a significant platform overhaul.
- The new system aims to enhance cross-brand connectivity while prioritizing customer data privacy.
Fresco’s KitchenOS Platform Launch
Fresco has introduced its KitchenOS platform, marking a significant upgrade to its smart kitchen software suite. The Instant Pot Pro Plus by Instant Brands, the first appliance to integrate with KitchenOS, underscores Fresco’s focus on enhancing kitchen management.
This new platform, combining updated firmware, apps, and smart recipes, represents a two-year development effort initiated in 2021. Fresco CEO Ben Harris highlighted that the company needed a comprehensive approach to scalability. This led to a strengthening of their platform following a $20 million Series B investment, aimed at making a unified kitchen experience possible.
Initially developed during the nine-year journey with the Drop scale, Fresco recognized the industry’s demand for a universal kitchen interface. Harris stated, “They all want the back-end infrastructure, they all want the apps… customized with similar components under the hood.” However, as requests for custom applications increased, the company’s ability to innovate slowed.
Fresco faced several challenges, such as developing distinct firmware for each appliance and designing unique user interfaces, delaying product launches. The absence of effective connectivity between brands’ devices complicated this issue. Each appliance’s app limited communication to the Fresco app, obstructing potential interconnectivity.
To tackle these limitations, Harris, alongside advisor Steve Horowitz, re-evaluated the platform in 2021. Their strategy focused on creating universal firmware and a common user interface that could work across various appliance brands. By categorizing appliances based on common cooking capabilities rather than type, Fresco identified 77 capabilities, which allowed for a cohesive control layer.
Harris explained that this shift provided a robust framework linking recipes and appliances, paving the way for a seamless user experience. “We rebuilt the consumer experience with this multi-brand appliance control,” he stated. This overhaul requires partners to adopt new firmware and apps that integrate a unified Fresco account, facilitating cross-brand connectivity.
Data privacy is a significant concern that Fresco prioritizes in this architecture. The company promises that each brand will maintain a separate data pool while ensuring customer data privacy. Users will have the option to share anonymized data to enhance product development without compromising individual privacy.
In addition to technical advancements, Fresco revamped the customer experience, borrowing design principles from successful platforms like Apple Watch and Apple CarPlay. The goal was to provide users with tailored assistance during cooking processes, empowering them with control and information.
Harris credited Wired writer Joe Ray for pinpointing issues with their previous platform, allowing the team to realign their goals effectively. The comprehensive codebase rebuild was challenging yet essential given the evolving landscape of smart home technology. Harris noted that Fresco plans to integrate with Matter, the emerging standard for smart devices, reinforcing the necessity of a platform specific to kitchen appliances.
“This is where the future is, this is what Matter is building,” Harris stated. By advancing KitchenOS now, Fresco aims to ensure that appliances can work together seamlessly and efficiently, avoiding delays in realizing a fully interconnected kitchen.
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